Notre Dame to sign Rome Call for AI Ethics, host Global University Summit
The University of Notre Dame will formally sign the Rome Call for AI Ethics on Thursday (Oct. 27), together with the University of Navarra in Spain, Catholic University of Croatia, SWPS University in Poland, Schiller International University in Spain, Chuo University in Japan, University of Johannesburg and University of Florida.
The signing will coincide with a Global University Summit on the Rome Call, held on Oct. 26-27 and co-organized by the Pontifical Academy for Life, IBM and Notre Dame. Hosted by the Notre Dame-IBM Technology Ethics Lab and held in-person and virtually, the summit will explore ways in which universities can use the complementary roles of research, education and policy in the development of human-centered approaches to artificial intelligence (AI).
“It’s an honor for the University of Notre Dame to host this global summit and support efforts to promote an ethical approach to artificial intelligence,” said John T. McGreevy, the University’s Charles and Jill Fischer Provost. “Notre Dame has long recognized the importance of incorporating responsibility and accountability into our teaching and research. As the world’s technological capabilities increase in areas such as AI, we will continue to identify new ways in which we can advance knowledge in service to humankind.”
Msgr. Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, said, “Education is the key process that enables people, especially the fragile (young and old), not to be subjected to the innovative process but to be able to be participatory actors in it. This initiative is the moment to translate these theoretical value instances into academic practices that can produce adequate guidance and social transformation.”
Darío Gil, senior vice president and director of research at IBM, said, “At IBM, we believe that creating and deploying cutting-edge technologies like AI will transform how we live and work and that this future must be developed responsibly and ethically. As one of the first signers of the Rome Call for AI Ethics, IBM is proud to continue its collaboration with the Pontifical Academy for Life and other like-minded institutions across industry, academia, government and society to ensure we are collectively building a future that is supportive and inclusive of every single person.”
Along with a formal signing ceremony of the new partners, the two-day gathering will include keynote speakers, roundtables and networking events to define collaborative strategies universities can take around the Rome Call for AI Ethics.
The event will be emceed by Francesca Rossi, IBM fellow and AI ethics global leader, together with Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., vice president and associate provost for interdisciplinary initiatives at Notre Dame, and Erin Klawitter, associate director of the Notre Dame-IBM Technology Ethics Lab. Archbishop Paglia and IBM’s Gil will provide remarks at the signing ceremony.
The Rome Call for AI Ethics – established in 2020 and originally signed by the Pontifical Academy for Life, IBM, Microsoft, FAO and the Italian Ministry of Innovation – is a commitment to promote an ethical approach to the design, development and deployment of AI. It seeks to advance a sense of shared responsibility among international organizations, governments, institutions and the private sector to create a future in which digital innovation and technological progress are focused on humanity.
A complete summit agenda is available here. A full list of participating organizations is available here.
Following the summit, the network of participating universities will collaborate regularly to share updates, discuss innovative ideas and democratize AI ethics solutions.
Contact: Shannon Roddel, Chapla.1@nd.edu
Latest International
- Vatican honors Martin and Carmel Naughton with papal awardThe late Pope Francis, in one of his last acts, conferred the honour of the Order of Saint Gregory the Great upon Carmel and Martin Naughton, Trustee Emeritus of the University of Notre Dame. The papal honor is in recognition of the Naughtons’ outstanding philanthropy in the areas of education and the arts, particularly in the provision of philanthropic support and scholarships to Catholic education at the University of Notre Dame and Kylemore Abbey, and in their transformative contributions to higher education in Ireland.
- Prioritizing prenatal care may decrease low birth weight outcomes in The Gambia, Notre Dame research findsA new study co-authored by University of Notre Dame researchers highlights the importance of prenatal care for improving the health of mothers and newborns, providing evidence that can inform policy.
- Navigating the waters of peace: Researchers address challenges, opportunities in implementation of Colombia's Peace AgreementNearly half of the commitments outlined in Colombia's historic peace accord face significant challenges and may not happen in time unless policymakers make several key interventions, warns a new report from Notre Dame's Peace Accords Matrix. The report offers a blueprint to salvage an accord that has lagged behind its implementation deadlines, putting its legacy at risk. It highlights timely fixes that can strengthen the agreement.
- Partial peace deals may facilitate comprehensive accords, offering roadmap for policymakers, practitionersPartial peace agreements — deals that address targeted issues on the way to larger comprehensive accords — could provide a blueprint for peacebuilding policymakers and practitioners, according to new University of Notre Dame research.
- CANCELED: University to host Cardinal Pedro Barreto of Peru and Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana as part of Notre Dame ForumAs part of the 2024-25 Notre Dame Forum, Cardinal Pedro Ricardo Barreto Jimeno, S.J., of Peru and Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson of Ghana will visit the University of Notre Dame to participate in a conversation with President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., at 11:30 a.m. April 25 in the Smith Ballroom of the Morris Inn. The conversation is open to the public and will also be livestreamed for both Spanish-speaking and English-speaking audiences.
- ‘Who the messenger is matters’: Cultural leaders can positively influence population growthFertility rates across the world have been steadily dropping since 1950. Pinpointing the reasons is at the heart of Lakshmi Iyer's work as a professor of economics and global affairs. Her research exemplifies the kind of population-level research that Notre Dame Population Analytics (ND Pop), a new research initiative at the University, seeks to foster.
